1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a wind driven electric power generator, and particularly to a wind driven electric power generator to be locate inside the veil of natural draft cooling towers that have been or are to be built in conjunction with fossil fuel or nuclear powered electric generating plants. This wind driven generator would supplement the electric power generated by the primary generators of the power plant by harnessing the wasted energy that exists in the form of a heavy air mass rising in the cooling tower as an inherent part of the function and operation of the cooling tower.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are many types of windmills designed specifically for electric power generation. These windmills range in scope from a capacity for a single dwelling up to some rather large units that have been built and function with limited success. Research and planning is being conducted on grand schemes all over the world in search of an answer to the dilemma of inevitable exhaustion of consumable fuels now being used almost exclusively for power generation. This exhaustion includes that of the present limited supply of U-235 uranium.
Among the schemes presently being proposed is to construct windmills 200 feet high and having blades sweeping a 36 foot diameter circle. At wind speeds of, for example, 22 miles per hour, such windmills are capable of producing 35 KW, and even when the wind velocity falls as low as 4.5 miles per hour, such windmills can produce 0.5 KW. It will be appreciated, however, that the locations having the requisite prevailing winds to just such windmills is rather limited.
With all the schemes that now exist or are being researched, there are common problems that must be overcome to make the cost of the generated power within reason. Some of the most major of these problems are:
1. Finding locations where the wind is. Obviously, a windmill should be located where the wind blows most of the time with sufficient force to keep the rotor turning a high percentage of the time. There are locations where this condition exists, but even there the wind is variable and unpredictable and will vary in velocity from, for example, zero to hurricane forces.
2. Structural requirements. Most designs for wind generators have a shaft oriented on a horizontal axis, and the rotors are disposed in a vertical plane. Therefore, the following structural problems must be considered.
a. The supporting tower must be at least as tall as half the diameter of the rotor assembly.
b. The rotor arms must not only support their weight from one end, that end being at the shaft, but must be able to withstand the highest conceivable wind loads, or be retractable in some manner.
c. The lateral forces of the wind load is transferred to the tower, so that the tower must be reinforced to resist this bending moment as well as the weights of all the components.
d. To take the fullest advantage of the available winds, the structure should allow for "weather-vaning" which further complicates structural problems.
3. Storage. The electricity that is generated will fluctuate, and accordingly must be stored in a system that can then release the electricity at a given rate in a controlled fashion. This can be done with batteries, by means of cryogenic systems, compressed air, or fly wheel storage systems, but for an installation of any size, the most common and most practical solution at this time is to use a conventional power grid.
4. Transmission. The final step in converting wind power to electricity is to transmit the power, through a transmission system, to the ultimate consumer.
From the above criteria, it is obvious that to harness wind power with working facilities is a costly business. The larger the facility, the more complex and costly it becomes. The larger rotor diameters are very desirable. The general formula for computing wind power is that the power varies as the cube of the velocity of the air and of circular areas through which it passes. When large facilities which are being considered are constructed, they will most likely be on the ocean, on top of mountain peaks, or on very high towers in the plains regions to be "where the wind is". Therefore, the cost associated with the structure will be great and the storage and transmission costs will also be high, due to the remoteness of the most desirable locations for locating such windmills.
I am aware of the following patents that may be pertinent to the invention:
Nos. 215,035 - May 6, 1879 PA1 535,602 - Mar. 12, 1895 PA1 1,003,661 - Sept. 19, 1911 PA1 1,929,410 - July 9, 1930 PA1 3,637,193 - Jan. 25, 1972 PA1 3,708,155 - Jan. 2, 1973.